--000-

As the sun peaked over Melemele Island, the Trainer School's light flicked on as the teachers slowly arrived and got ready for the day. Most of the students' alarms went off around the same time in the morning and most students slowly got up, groaning at the thought of another day of school.

One student's alarm didn't go off, however. This particular student, a young adult with jet black hair, tossed and turned in his sleep. Sweat covered his brow as he clenched his eyes tight, it was clear that he was having a nightmare.

"No!" he screamed out as he woke up with a start. Breathing heavily, he looked around and found that he was in his room… At home.

"Oh great, must've been a dream…" the man sighed out as he grabbed his glasses from the side. He got out of bed and slowly made his way to his brother's room. He pushed the door open slightly and found both Kevin, Thomas' starter Pokemon who was a Sceptile, and Thomas asleep on his bed. The Alolan student shook his head and grabbed some clothes before heading towards the shower.

He looked into the bathroom mirror before he reached the bathtub and splashed some water in his face, muttering, "It was only a dream, Max. You're fine, everything is fine…" As Max got ready to shower, he swore he could've heard a faint chuckle in the back of his head.

-000-

Max let out a groan as he stood in front of his history classroom, mentally preparing himself for yet another boring class. He was one of the smartest students in his year and he especially excelled at history.

"Hey, Max!" A voice called out, catching his attention. He looked behind him and smiled, seeing Sam walking up to him. The Sinnoh native came to this school at the beginning of the year and Max quickly made friends with her, and even as she became one of the most popular students, she still enjoyed Max's company.

"Hey Max, finished your homework last night?" Max asked with a smirk.

"Nope!" Sam replied, popping the 'p'. "I was too busy exploring Melemele Meadow with Buneary and Bidoof."

"You have to finish your homework if you wish to become a Gym Leader," Max told her as he rolled his eyes. "Or else you won't get anywhere."

"Whatever, c'mon!" Sam replied as she grabbed his hand. Max blushed slightly at the contact but allowed himself to be pulled into the classroom.

After a few moments of talking with Sam, the teacher walked into the classroom and the classroom went silent. Max took out his notebook with a bored sigh and got ready for yet another lecture on the history he already knew.

"Think you know everything?" A voice asked. Max glanced behind him yet saw nobody unusual so he shrugged it off. However, the same laugh from earlier invaded the back of his mind and it shook him to the core.

"Let's have some… fun and travel back in time to see the truth!"

Before Max could say anything, his vision morphed until there was nothing but emptiness around him. A few moments later, a strange figure appeared in front of Max.

"Your dream from earlier was another reality you could have lived through. But I grew tired of it quickly. Now it's time for another game!"

"What are you talking about?" Max asked. "Who are you?"

"That does not matter! Now, onto the game! The rules are simple. You will meet with one of your ancestors and uncover the hidden history. Back during the times of Pokemon Ranchers! This is going to rock your world, I am excited!"

"I don't understand!" Max shouted to the strange figure.

"Great! Of course, I'll translate the language for you so you can understand what they're saying. You're going to be oh so horrified, I cannot wait!"

The strange figure vanished seconds later, leaving Max's mind reeling from the information. Dreaming! He must've fallen asleep during the lecture!

"C'mon, wake up, wake up!" Max shouted as he slapped himself. Nothing happened, however.

"You should not harm yourself like that," a calm voice told him. Max spun around and found himself face to face with a person he had never seen before.

"Who are you?" Max asked as he looked over the newcomer. The man was taller than he was and had short, black hair. He wore some strange gloves, a style that Max was not familiar with, and there was a sword attached to his hip.

"My name is Duke," the man replied as he bowed before Max. "I believe you are one of my descendants though the connection between us is faint due to the introduction of other bloodlines. That is beside the point, it seems as if a being higher than humans and Pokemon decided to choose us as it's playthings."

"The strange voice did say something about a game," Max replied as he held his chin in thought. "But why us? Why me? And why did he say something about me being horrified?"

"Battles are probably more gruesome and dangerous than what they are in your time," Duke observed as he held his arms behind his back.

"How do you know so much about this?" Max asked as he shook his head.

"Nuzlocke told me before he brought you here. Whever here is," Duke replied as he shurgged his shoulders. "But we can chat later. If we do not leave so, this being might get angry with us."

"Where are we going?" Max asked as Duke started to walked in one direction.

"We're going back through my memories, and you're going to see through my eyes," Duke replied. "That's what I have been told at least."

"Fine, whatever. I'm curious about this entire situation anyways," Max replied as he followed Duke, his mind buzzing with all of the answers Duke gave him. With a flash, Duke was gone and Max was no longer in an endless expense of emptiness.

However, what Max did see was something completely different than what he woke up to earlier that morning. He found himself in a field filled with Pokemon, Pokemon that were not native the Alolan Islands that he grew up with. Looking down, he saw the same strange gloves he saw earlier.

He was looking through the eyes of Duke.

-000-

This project is part of an extended universe with Plegian Gengar's "The Rose That Was Always Red," maycontestdrew's "The Iron Knight," and Fuzzboy's "The Courtship of the Heavenly Plates." I recommend checking out the rest of these guys out, they are definitely better than I!